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  • From: Shoshanna Walker <rosewalk AT concentric.net>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org, EEJH <eejh AT yahoogroups.com>
  • Cc:
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Possible archeological find in Israel
  • Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2004 15:08:33 -0400

Reported by today's Israel Line

Cave Possibly Used by John the Baptist Found

Archaeologists announced on Monday that they had found a cave in the Judean
Hills leading to the oldest baptismal site discovered to date - a huge water
cistern decorated with evocative wall carvings where they believe John the
Baptist anointed many disciples, HA'ARETZ reported. During a tour of the cave
at Kibbutz Tzuba, south of Jerusalem, archaeologists presented the ancient
wall decorations, as well as a stone they believe was used for ceremonial
foot washing. They also reported sifting about 250,000 pottery shards from
the cave, the apparent remnants of small water jugs used in baptismal ritual.
The oldest shards are from the mid-second century B.C.E.
"The site we've uncovered is seemingly the connecting link between Jewish and
Christian baptism," said British archaeologist Shimon Gibson, who heads the
private Jerusalem Archaeological Field Unit and supervised the dig. However,
others said there was no actual proof that John the Baptist ever set foot in
the cave, located about four kilometers from Jerusalem's Ein Kerem
neighborhood, birthplace of the preacher and the site where, Christian
tradition holds, he baptized Jesus. The discovery, if confirmed, would be
among the most significant breakthroughs for biblical scholars in memory.





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